


Feels Like Courage

by Sans_Virtuosity



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sun & Moon | Pokemon Sun & Moon Versions
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Cough medicine was harmed in the making of this fic, F/M, Not Beta Read, Romance, unedited
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-12
Updated: 2017-10-12
Packaged: 2019-01-16 14:01:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,679
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12344118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sans_Virtuosity/pseuds/Sans_Virtuosity
Summary: The things you say during a fever can't be held against you.Love is not a competition, but Gladion thinks he's winning.





	Feels Like Courage

**Author's Note:**

> So I've been terribly sick this past week, and last night I decided to just sit down and write something anyways. I took some cold medicine and went to town. So if this sounds a little (or a lottle) OOC, it's because I was also sick as all hell. Just take it like Gladion's an extremely unreliable narrator, and everything will be fine.
> 
> "Vulnerability sounds like truth and feels like courage." - Brené Brown

* * *

 

“I really don’t need it. I appreciate what you’re trying to do here, but seriously-” Gladion was cut off by a sharp wave of Moon’s hand.

Gladion had started showing fever symptoms during his latest meeting. A meeting that Moon happened to be attending as a League representative. So the Champion had him pulled aside, and brought him back to his personal apartments, where she was currently trying to get him to lay down and put a cold towel over his eyes.

Moon lightly nudged Gladion in the chest, and he toppled backwards into the couch.

“See? You can hardly stand.”

“You pushed me.”

“Barely. Here,” she handed him the towel, and he reluctantly took it, “I’m going to make you some tea. Honey or sugar?”

He rolled his eyes. “Honey, _mom_.”

Moon just scoffed and walked into the kitchen to prep the tea. Gladion leaned back into the couch and put the towel over his eyes like she told him. It really did feel good. Freezing, but good. Not that he would admit it to Moon.

He hated letting her see him like this. She wouldn’t take him seriously if she knew a little fever could knock him flat. He definitely expected her to mock him when she was walking with him to the apartments, but the ribbing never came. She just seemed genuinely concerned.

He hated it.

He called out, “Hey, the League is going to get upset if they find out their representative skipped the meeting to elope with the President of Aether. You should go back; I can take care of myself.”

“Elope?” came the reply, much closer to him than he expected.

He felt her take his hand, and he sat up suddenly, the towel falling off his eyes. She pressed a hot mug of tea into his hand, which he accepted gratefully.

“Yeah. That’s what this is, isn’t it? You’ve taken me back here to ravish me in my weakened state.” He feigned fainting, all the while careful of the mug in his hands, “Ah, Moon, I’m so helpless. You have to help me undress.”

“You’re a real pain in the ass when you’re delirious, you know that? Your sarcasm levels are off the charts today.”

“You love me.”

She ‘hmm’ed, and sat down on the couch next to him. She never denied it. Gladion cleared his throat and took a sip of the tea. It was really good.

“What is this?” he asked, gesturing with the mug.

“Chamomile and lavender. I figured you’d like it.”

“I do.”

They lapsed into a comfortable silence, occasionally trading looks. They’ve known each other so long that most of their conversations were nonverbal at this point. She was upset that he wasn’t being honest with her, he could see it on her face. But he really was losing his mind. The fever was making his thoughts bounce everywhere, simultaneously thinking about everything and nothing at all. He didn’t want her to know how weak he really felt. He could take care of himself. He always has.

Gladion finished his tea, and handed the mug off to Moon, who in turn went back to the kitchen to put it in the sink. Gladion stood up, but dizziness took him over and he swayed to catch his balance. Moon noticed.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“Anywhere. Doesn’t matter. My head feels heavy.”

Moon sighed and came up to him. She picked up the wet towel that he’d abandoned on the couch, and lead Gladion towards his bedroom with a steadying hand on his back. He could feel her fingers through his shirt, and it made him feel giddy and nauseous at the same time. His body was failing him. That must be it.

_Goodbye, world. Goodbye Aether, and all the work I put into you. Goodbye Moon, my dearest friend and companion. Take care of Silvally for me when I’m gone._

He was snapped out of his thoughts when his body hit the mattress. Moon pushed him over again. He gathered his bearings and sat up in the center of the mattress, cross-legged.

“Hey. You need to come over here and fight me like a man. Those cheap tricks won’t work on me.”

“Glad, I don’t even know what you’re saying anymore. Just go to bed.”

“I won’t. You’ve sullied my honor, and now we must duel.”

Moon laughed, and Gladion smiled at the sound of it. This was good. He was feeling better already. She reached out to hand him the towel, and without thinking, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards the bed. She came willingly, laughing all the way. She straddled him for a brief moment before rolling off to lay beside him, and Gladion felt his muscles tense subconsciously. It was all too much. She was so close to him, and so beautiful. He could reach out and stroke her cheek right now if he wanted. She was right there.

“I wish I were recording this. You’d get a kick out of this later.”

“I’m getting a kick out of this now.”

“Careful, little Litten, you’re sounding flirty. Don’t want the press to get the wrong idea.” She gestured around them, like she was indicating invisible cameras all around them. It was a running joke between them, since they always seemed to have media surrounding them whenever they spent long periods of time around the islands.

Gladion laughed, but maybe it sounded more like a cough. “Would it be so bad if I meant it?”

Moon looked around, and only now seemed to understand the situation she was in. Her eyes widened, and she sat up sharply, “Gladion, you’re delirious. I can’t hear this from you right now.”

“You can’t?” Gladion sat up with her and gave her a harsh look, “Why don’t you ever take me seriously?”

“I do. I want to, always.” The conviction in her eyes told him that she was telling the truth. “But right now you’re not thinking straight, and I don’t want you to say anything that _I_ might take the wrong way.”

Gladion nodded, not entirely disagreeing with her reasoning. But he was feeling loose, and figured he could blame the fever later if he said something incriminating. Something like how much he adored every second spent with her, but hated that he always felt pressured to meet up to her impossible (and admittedly imagined) expectations of him. Something like how, whenever her hair falls into her face, he has to physically restrain himself from tucking it behind her ear. Something like how he would love nothing more than for Moon to respond positively to his less-than-subtle flirting. Because he was too weak to just come out and tell her how he feels.

He was so weak.

He flopped back onto the mattress, and spread his arms out wide on the cool comforter. The ceiling was molded plaster, in some curly ancient design, and the more Gladion looked at it, the more the shapes seemed to swirl into one another. Maybe he _should_ sleep. But then he might not get another chance to test Moon’s response to his ‘accidental’ slip of his feelings. It felt a little underhanded to do it this way, but right now he didn’t have the strength of will to stop himself.

“Hey,” he said without looking at her, “if I loved you this whole time, would you be upset?”

Moon turned to look back at him, surprise clear on her face for just a moment, before she caught herself and put her usual sly, sarcastic smile back on. It was a good sign.

“Upset by what? You’re my best friend; I figured you loved me.”

“No. Upset that I don’t mean it in a platonic way.” He gestured vaguely at the ceiling, hand-talking as usual when he gets emotional. “Upset that I never said anything, and that I’m a useless piece of shit who can’t ever say what he means unless he’s completely out of his mind with delirium.”

He sat up for a moment to give her a serious look, to try and drill it into her that he was being honest. His head spun, and he flopped back down onto the mattress and closed his eyes. He was sure that was not convincing in the slightest. He lost the duel.

The room was silent for a long time, and Gladion felt himself nearly drifting off to sleep when Moon finally cleared her throat and startled him back to awareness. He opened his eyes slowly, and tried to focus on the pattern on the ceiling again.

“No, I wouldn’t be upset.” She whispered.

His heart pounded in his ears, but still he pressed, “You swear? Because if I wake up and try this again when I’m feeling better, and you tell me to piss off and go home, I’m just going to sit on your doormat like a sad Lillipup until you accept me.”

Moon laughed and gently squeezed his thigh in her mirth. The motion sent liquid lightning up his entire body, and he shivered. He looked over at her and saw that her face was a beautiful shade of pink, and that she held all the world’s tenderness in her eyes. She was taking him seriously. At least, he hoped so. Otherwise she might just have a fever, too.

“I swear.”

“Then,” he said, sitting up and pushing Moon off of his bed, “You need to get out. I’m going to bed, so when I feel better, I can say all this again, and you’ll know I’m not just messing around.”

“Alright, Glad.” She laughed, not entirely convinced. “I’m looking forward to it.”

She left the room, with threats of violence if he left his apartment before he was feeling healthy again, and Gladion properly climbed into bed and placed the towel over his eyes. It was still cold, and still felt amazing.

He’d definitely tell her again. And again. As many times as it takes.

A moment of weakness was all he needed to become stronger.

 

* * *

 


End file.
